In his workshop opposite the Old Port, Jacques Bianchi, now 80 years old, is more than a watchmaker: he is a living legend of Marseille and the world of diving.
In the past, he designed prototypes for freedivers on the basis of Lemania regatta chronographs, by inventing sealing processes for the pushers, alongside Commander Cousteau and his second Albert Falco.
He also repaired the Rolex watches of the Comex divers, pieces now cherished by the collectors of the crown brand.
Passionate about maritime exploration, he has also developed waterproof cases to test the waterproofness of watches at sea. And, above all, he will launch the brand that bears his name, two models of which will be provided in the army. : the JB200 Quartz for the French Navy at the end of the 1980s, then the JB300 for Army divers in the mid-1990s.
Paul Malo
Marseille being still and always a capital of diving, it is one of its creations from the 1980s which will soon be reissued with the help and support of Fabrice Pougez, of the French brand MAT.
“I was won over by the idea of transmission that emerges from this project,” he
explains.
My meeting with Jacques Bianchi was decisive.
Beyond our professional convergences, the current immediately passed between us because we share a large number of common values: watchmaking of course, but also the passion for sport and the love of the deep sea!
Our vision of watchmaking excellence is identical: independence and quality are our two pillars.
No concessions on that.
And then, it's Marseille! ”
Jacques Bianchi
Its famous JB200 diver, once worn as an endowment by French Navy divers, will therefore return to the surface, in the form of a “left-handed” type model, of course displaying the silhouette of a diver in action on its dial.
Formerly equipped with a quartz movement, this Bianchi by MAT is back this time with an automatic movement made in Japan.
This reissue of the JB200 should soon be able to be pre-ordered via Kickstarter from June 15th.
www.jacquesbianchi.com
